Pilot Car Rates?

I always tell new drivers to not just make it their goal to get the job, make it the goal to be good at that that job. If you’re not going to be good at it, why do it? It’s not about money, it’s about the name you make for yourself.

That old white haired guy I was referring to lived in the Corpus area. He was the front door for a rookie blade hauler I had to show the ropes to. Nice guy, but we banged heads because he wanted to be in charge.

The first thing that many pilot cars do is come up and start volunteering employment history. That irks me. The next thing they do is try to assume control, take charge. This usually works on the newer drivers. On a blade project, the first thing they try to do is to get my rookie away from me.

On this particular job, I had 4 rookies and 1 veteran. I ran up front ( the rookies grabbed the wrong trailers and the rear porch was too short to be Texas legal), but after a fuel stop, Peterson convinced his rookie to take off. They ran down the highway, missed a turn and got stuck in a construction zone. I didn’t say a word. There’s really no point after they screw up.

Rookie spoke to me the next day...

“I really screwed up, didn’t I?”

Yep.

“Are you mad at me?”

Nope. I don’t get mad. It’s your truck, your call. My front door was going to try to warn you.

“My front door missed the turn...”

YOU missed the turn. You can’t blame the front door. You didn’t do your homework.

Would you believe this same driver got caught 28 miles off route with the same blade in Colorado? Old habits are hard to break.

 

Had a few that have missed turns, able to warn most just in time for them to correct themselves, the others caught up to a “reminder” of what their job is & why they get paid.

Haven’t had any that really tried to be the boss, I tell them what I want & need, I jerk their chain if they don’t hit those parameters, don’t hesitate to command them to get me what I need.

There’s a few I won’t work with, a few that won’t work with me.

 

You have some cut throats out there that drive crappy equip that breaks down all the time and they will do a load for $1.25-$1.35 mile. To drive good dependable equip a rate of $1.50 per mile, $20 hr delay time after 1 free hr, $70 overnight stay all is reasonable and obtainable. Don't go broke working yourself to death.

 

I shoe horses for a living and what you are saying is pretty much what I say about myself. There are plenty of Horse Shoers who will slap on a set for $30-40. But you pay a Farrier like me $150-200 because of my education, skills and knowledge. That $30 horseshoer isn't paying $5k a year in continuing education.

 

Here when we stop at the scales, the dot checks the pilot cars cert and insurance, plus the required equipment. If any is lacking. The truck driver gets fined for not having a pilot car, and sits there until he gets one.
They do basically charge both ways, it is rare that they could get a return load. They do once in a blue moon and it is just a shot in the arm for them, unless it happens to be the same company, then it is usually negotiated.